I heard quite often “men don’t cry”
Though no one ever told me why
So when I fell and skinned a knee
No one came to comfort me.
And when some bully boy at school
Would pull a prank so mean and cruel
I’d quickly learn to turn and quip
“It doesn’t hurt”, and bite my lip.

So as I grew to reasoned years
I learned to stifle any tears.
Though “be a big boy” it began,
Quite soon I learned to ” be a man”.
And I could play that stoic role
While storm and tempest wracked my soul
No pain or setback could there be
Could wrest one single tear from me.

Then one long night I stood nearby
And helplessly watched my son die,
And quickly found to my surprise
That all that tearless talk was lies.
And still I cry and have no shame
I cannot play that ” big boy” game,
And openly without remorse
I let my sorrow take it’s course.

So those of you who can’t abide
A man you’ve seen whose often cried,
Reach out to him with all your heart
As one whose life’s been torn apart.

For men do cry when they can see
Their loss of immorality.
And tears will come in endless streams
When mindless fate destroys their dreams.

- written by Ken Faulk

Don’t ever forget.

Your presence is a gift to the world,
You’re unique and one of a kind.

Your life can be what you want it to be.
Take it one day at a time.

Count your blessings, not your troubles,
And you’ll make it through what comes along.

Within you are so many answers.
Understand, have courage, be strong.

Don’t put limits on yourself.
Your dreams are waiting to be realized.

Don’t leave your important decisions to chance.
Reach for your peak, your goal, and your prize.

Nothing wastes more energy than worrying.
The longer a problem is carried, the heavier it gets.

Don’t take things too seriously.
Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

Remember that a little love goes a long way.
Remember that a lot goes forever.

Remember that friendship is a wise investment,
Life’s treasures are people… together.

Have health and hope and happiness.

And don’t ever forget for even a day…
How very special YOU are!

God has created you for a purpose.

You did not come from apes.
You are wonderfully and beautifully made.

Make sure you make a difference where you are and you do it today.

There once was an oyster
Whose story I tell,
Who found that some sand
Had got into his shell.

It was only a grain,
but it gave him great pain.
For oysters have feelings
Although they’re so plain.

Now, did he berate
the harsh workings of fate
That had brought him
To such a deplorable state?

Did he curse at the government,
Cry for election,
And claim that the sea should
Have given him protection?

‘No,’ he said to himself
As he lay on a shell,
Since I cannot remove it,
I shall try to improve it.

Now the years have rolled around,
As the years always do,
And he came to his ultimate
Destiny ­ stew.

And the small grain of sand
That had bothered him so
Was a beautiful pearl
All richly aglow.

Now the tale has a moral,
for isn’t it grand
What an oyster can do
With a morsel of sand?

What couldn’t we do
If we’d only begin
With some of the things
That get under our skin.